I ignored his question and continued to eat the food he had prepared for me. He added the veggies and some of the carrots to the sauce he made for me. We both continued to eat without talking to each other. I could notice the way my father was looking at me. There was something curious about it. I didn’t need a soothsayer to tell me that he was shocked as well.
“What’s the problem, dawg?” he asked.
Sweat from my head dripped into my eyes, my nose, and then my lips— it was salty. I put my hand on my face, gliding up so I could remove the sweat from the bridge of my nose. I think I was just worried about how to make my introductory statement to my father.
“Can I take my bath before we talk?” I said, raising a shoulder.
“You are free.” He relaxed back on his chair.
I got up and quickly
